Hubert Truckenbrodt. “What you should know about writing academic papers in linguistics”. SfS Tbingen, 2004.

Excerpt:

American-style (caricature) Right after the introduction, the author makes it clear, what the claim of the paper is. “In this paper, I present a solution to the old puzzle why eggs play no role in the reproduction of whales. I will show that whales lay eggs, which dissolve in salt water about one minute after they were laid. And that is the reason eggs are not used for reproduction with whales. …” After that, the arguments for the claim are presented, if possible comparing the new theory with earlier claims. State the strong arguments that you have. After that, conclusion, and shut up. You say what you have to say, and that’s that.

Traditional German-style (caricature) Did the Ancient Greeks have something to say about the topic? What has been written about it since? Extra credit if you find someone who has commented on it a few centuries ago, and has since been overlooked. From there, the author builds up slowly and steadily. After about half of the paper, the specific question of the paper comes into view. First in a vague, general way, then somewhat more concretely. One starts to suspect that there may also be a claim made later on. A preference of the author becomes noticeable. At some point, however, the paper ends. Sorry, we are out of space. More next time.